In this book, the strange tale of Matthias the Prophet provides a fascinating window into the turbulent movements of the religious revival known as the Second Great Awakening--movements which swept up great numbers of evangelical Americans and gave rise to new sects like the Mormons. Shedding new light on the communal religious cultism that has continued to shock and perplex Americans today, the authors elucidate the many enduring connections between the American religious experience and rapid economic change, sex and gender, race relations, and literature (high and low).